A. Field of Invention
This application pertains to a keyboard with multi-position keys determined, for example, by the distance each key travels vertically. The position of each key is determined, and used to generate an appropriate command, for example, for generating alphanumeric characters, or implementing other functions.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Keyboards with mechanical keys have become a ubiquitous and almost universal means of inputting data and/or generating commands for various electronic (normally PC-based) systems. Historically, these keyboards are the direct descendants of the classic manual typewriters developed in the nineteenth century, as demonstrated by their QWERTY layout. They typically include a plurality of buttons (forming the keys) that are arranged in a known two dimensional pattern on a panel, and each button is activated by a user pushing it downward with a finger. In the classic typewriter, each button was connected by a mechanical linkage to an arm with plate bearing an alphanumeric character. In electronic keyboards, as a button is pushed toward its bottom position, it causes an electrical contact to close. This event is sensed by a decoder which then generates an appropriate command for performing a respective action. For example, pushing the button assigned to the letter “a” causes the decoder to issue a command for generating the letter “a” on a PC monitor.
A problem with this arrangement is that the number of keys are severally limited by the size of the keyboard itself. Typically current keyboards may have up to about 109 keys (including the numerical keys). These keyboards are difficult to use, are clumsy and take a large amount of space on a desk. Therefore, various attempts have been made to design smaller keyboards. However, because it is impractical to reduce the size of the keys themselves, the only way to reduce the size of the keyboards is to reduce the number of keys. This resulting reduced keyboards could not provide the same functionality as a full sized keyboards.
Moreover, keyboards are also made to generate characters other than Latin characters, such as Chinese or Japanese characters. These keyboards are fully functional only if they include more than 109 keys, further increasing the size of the keyboards, and making them even more difficult to use.
In other words, while there have been attempts in the past the overcome these problems, they have not been very successful. The present invention provides an easy-to-learn keyboard that requires less number of keys than standard keyboards and can be used to generate special characters or request commands quickly and easily with the activation of a single key. As a result, keyboards can be made that are smaller than existing conventional keyboards without sacrificing any conventional functionalities.